Apologies

Apologies are detailed above.

Chairperson’s business

i. The Chairperson informed Members that he would speak as Committee Chairperson
during the debate on the following Statutory Rule scheduled for plenary on
31 March 2008 – The Pneumoconiosis, Etc., (Workers’ Compensation) (Payment of
Claims) (Amendment) Regulations (NI) 2008.

Draft minutes of the meeting held on 6 March 2008

Agreed – The draft minutes were agreed.

Matters arising

i. Local Housing Allowance
The Committee noted the letter the Chairperson had sent to the Minister in relation to the proposed Local Housing Allowance regulations.

ii. Neighbourhood Renewal
The Committee noted the letter issued from the Clerk to the Chairperson of each Neighbourhood Renewal Partnership (NRP) regarding an informal meeting to discuss the format and structure of a future Committee meeting dedicated to Neighbourhood Renewal. The meeting between the Clerk and a representative from each NRP will be held on 22 April 2008.

Mr McCann expressed concern about the announcement on the Department’s website, dated 10 March 2008, regarding the future of Neighbourhood Renewal.

Agreed – To write to the Minister expressing concern that the Committee had not been notified of this significant policy announcement, and to request that officials brief the Committee on the future of Neighbourhood Renewal as soon as possible after the Easter recess.

Mr McCann left the meeting at 11.10am.

Proposed Statutory Rule (SL1)

The Committee considered the following proposed Statutory Rule, together with the views of the Committee for Employment and Learning on the proposal:

“That the Committee for Social Development has considered Statutory Rule 2008
No. 97 The Occupational and Personal Pension Schemes (General Levy) (Amendment) Regulations (NI) 2008 and has no objection to the Rule.”

The Committee considered the following Statutory Rule which is subject to confirmative resolution and has been laid in the Assembly:

SR 2008/92 – The Social Security Benefits Up-rating Order (NI) 2008

Question put and agreed:

“That the Committee for Social Development has considered Statutory Rule 2008
No. 92 The Social Security Benefits Up-rating Order (NI) 2008 and recommends that it be confirmed by the Assembly.

Child Maintenance Bill and Mesothelioma Bill

The Committee considered proposals from the Department for a Child Maintenance Bill
and a Mesothelioma Bill.

Agreed – To ask officials from the Department to brief the Committee on the proposals.

Correspondence

i. The Committee noted the Minister’s response to concerns it had expressed in relation
to the Northern Ireland Housing Executive’s current maintenance budget . Mr Brady
informed Members that some contractors were being paid out of the 2008/2009
budget, and expressed concern about the knock on effect this would have for future budgets.

ii. The Committee noted the response from the Department to its request for clarification
of the Departmental procedures currently in place for dealing with communications
where there was an implicit or explicit threat of suicide, or other serious mental health
problems.

iii. The Committee considered the response from the Department in relation to the
submission of the economic appraisal for the proposed Urban Renewal Scheme for
the Village area of south Belfast. The Committee expressed concern that while the
Department had submitted the economic appraisal to the Department of Finance and
Personnel (DFP) in June 2007, it transpired seven months later that the appraisal had
not in fact been received by DFP, and had to be resubmitted.

Agreed – To write to the Minister expressing the Committee’s concern about this
matter, and to recommend that procedures are put in place to ensure that this kind of oversight did not happen again in the future.

i v. The Committee noted the response the Department had sent to the Organisation for the
Unemployed in Northern Ireland, following its correspondence with the Committee.

v. The Committee noted correspondence from the Committee for Finance and Personnel
in relation to Sir David Varney’s Review of the Competitiveness of Northern Ireland.

vi. The Committee considered correspondence from the Northern Ireland Council for
Voluntary Action (NICVA) in relation to the implementation of the revised Compact.

Agreed – To invite NICVA to brief the Committee when the Department had
completed the revision of the Compact.

Forward Work Programme

The Committee noted the Forward Work Programme. The Chairperson informed Members that the briefing by Departmental officials on the Strategic Business Review of the Social Security Agency, scheduled for 10 April 2008, would now take place sometime in June 2008.

Committee Stage of the Charities Bill – clause-by-clause scrutiny

Officials from the Department for Social Development briefed Members on the
Charities Bill, and the Committee continued its clause-by-clause scrutiny of the Bill.

Mr Maginness joined the meeting at 11.24am.

Any other business

None.

Date, time and place of next meeting

The next meeting will be held on Thursday, 3 April 2008 at 11.00am in Room 135, Parliament Buildings.